1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display system, and more particularly, to an apparatus, a method, and medium for controlling image orientation. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for providing a display system having a display panel rotatable in multiple directions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a display system carries out many roles for easily providing users with all types of images including graphic images, character images, and so on. Also, the display system displays the images in a landscape format. More specifically, the landscape format displays the image so that the longitudinal length is larger than the vertical length. However, despite the convenience provided to the users, depending upon the computer applications such display formats (i.e., landscape format) may be inconvenient and disadvantageous. For example, the landscape format may cause inconvenience to users to wish to view documented images having a larger vertical length and a smaller longitudinal length, which may also result in a waste of empty space on each side of the image being displayed. In this case, the user would rather prefer to view the image in a portrait format, wherein the vertical length of the image is larger than the longitudinal length.
Therefore, in order to meet with the demands of the user to view an image in both the landscape format and the portrait format, a display system rotating the image to a direction desired by the user has been developed. The display system for rotating images should include a display panel that can be horizontally or vertically rotated, and a software and a hardware that can adequately modify the display direction of the displayed image, depending upon the rotation of the display panel.
In a conventional display system for rotating images, when the user desires to rotate the display panel to 90 degrees (90°) to view the image in a portrait format, the user uses a remote controller or a function key on the display panel in order to set up the image display direction to a 90° rotation mode. Accordingly, the image is rotated to 90 degrees (90°) through the software and hardware related to image rotation, thereby being displayed in the portrait format. Conversely, when the user desires to rotate the image rotated to 90 degrees (90°) once again, so as to view the image in the landscape format, then the user uses the remote controller or the function key on the display panel in order to set up the image display direction to a 0° rotation mode. Accordingly, the image is rotated back to its initial state through the software and hardware related to image rotation, thereby being displayed in the landscape format.
However, the conventional display system is disadvantageous in that the user is required to set up the display direction of the image each time the display panel is rotated. Also, if the user is unable to capture the correct rotational angle, then the user has to activate repeat image rotation mode several times before being able to view the image as desired. Furthermore, the display panel of the related art display system can rotate in only one direction, and accordingly, the image is rotated in only one direction. Therefore, the development of a display device and method enabling the image to be rotated in many directions is required.